White House Press Secretary Zacharia's Lawyer Credentials Questioned: Reports Say She Failed the 2011 California Bar Exam; Watchdog Files State Bar Complaint
WASHINGTON — The lawyer credentials of White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia have come under scrutiny. According to The Wall Street Journal, reporting on the evening of October 14 and citing a person with direct knowledge of the matter, Zacharia sat for the California bar exam after graduating from Pepperdine University's law school in 2011 but did not pass. USA TODAY reported on October 15 that she did not take the exam a second time. Both outlets reported that searches of licensed-attorney records in California, Texas and Washington, D.C., under her married and maiden names, turned up no record of a law license.
The questions center on how Zacharia has described herself. When President Donald Trump announced her appointment as press secretary in an October 9 social media post, he called her an attorney, and she has described herself as a lawyer in television appearances and in a previous version of her social media bio. The watchdog group Campaign for Accountability said on October 13 that it had searched attorney licensing records in all 50 states and the District of Columbia and found no record that she has ever been admitted to practice law. On October 13, as Zacharia departed the White House with President Trump, a reporter asked where she had passed the bar exam, and she replied, "When I moved to China." According to USA TODAY, citing The New York Times, Zacharia later explained that she had trouble hearing the question over the sound of Marine One, the presidential helicopter, and assumed she had been asked where she was after law school.
On October 14, Campaign for Accountability filed a complaint with the State Bar of California asking it to investigate whether Zacharia violated California law by repeatedly holding herself out as a lawyer, and to determine whether her work as general counsel of the California nonprofit Fix California from 2024 to 2025 amounted to the unauthorized practice of law. The group's executive director, Michelle Kuppersmith, said in a statement that Zacharia had represented herself as a lawyer repeatedly to bolster her reputation and credibility, and that in California, calling oneself a lawyer without a license is a crime. The State Bar has not announced any action on the complaint.
In a statement provided through the White House, Zacharia said: "I practiced international transaction law, with all the appropriate credentials." According to the Journal and USA TODAY, she took the 2011 exam while planning a wedding and preparing to move to China with her future husband, and then worked in Beijing as an associate on the international-practice team of Zhong Lun Law Firm on cross-border transactions. A person familiar with her background said lawyers later advised her that she could provide legal analysis based on her law degree and international experience. USA TODAY also reported that she had consulted Pepperdine's president about how to identify herself and was told not to call herself an attorney or use "esquire," but that she could call herself a lawyer.
The White House has rallied behind her. Communications Director Steven Cheung attacked the watchdog group in a social media post, saying nobody takes the complaint seriously. In a separate statement, Cheung called Zacharia a fabulous addition to the team and said she is uniquely qualified to serve as press secretary. A White House official said the president did not hire Zacharia to work on legal matters. The press secretary job does not require a law license.
Zacharia, 41, started the job this week and held her first briefing in the White House Brady Press Briefing Room on October 13. GSM previously reported her appointment and first briefing; this report covers the new questions about her legal credentials.
(Sources: The Wall Street Journal, October 14, 2026; USA TODAY, October 15, 2026; Campaign for Accountability statement, October 14, 2026)
Source: 《华尔街日报》、《今日美国》
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
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